


absolutely smitten, i'll never let her go.

by theatre_kid_next_door



Category: Dear Evan Hansen - Pasek & Paul/Levenson, Original Work
Genre: Cute, Cute Kids, Cynthia Murphy Is a Good Mother, Did I Mention Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Galaxy Gals, Kidfic, Kids, Larry Murphy Tries (Dear Evan Hansen), Mentioned Heidi Hansen, Original Character(s), Post-Canon, Single Parents, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, rated t for cursing, this is absolute garbage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:40:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 7,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theatre_kid_next_door/pseuds/theatre_kid_next_door
Summary: Alana and Zoe are both single parents. But what will happen when their paths cross?
Relationships: Alana Beck/Zoe Murphy, Evan Hansen/Jared Kleinman, galaxy gals - Relationship
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. the start of something beautiful

**Author's Note:**

> I used https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ for some story points, but the plot is my own.

Zoe looked down at the red-faced lump in her arms, wrapped in a pink blanket. 9 months of a long, hard pregnancy for... what looked slightly like a turnip with just the littlest bit of light brown fuzz on the top of her head. Zoe was tired from labor, so she decided to take a nap along with her little girl. Well, for about an hour. She woke up to a loud screech across the room. How, she wondered, could a seven and a half pound baby be so loud? She sleepily stumbled over to the bassinet. The tiny brown eyes were wet with tears, and Zoe's heart melted. Her only experience with babies were her friends' kids, and that was about it. She would always hand over the baby once a single whine slipped out. But, if there was one thing she knew how to do, it was singing. She didn't know any lullabies, so she did the next best thing, Beyonce's newest hit. She'll be a very popular baby. Fortunately, Beyonce had the power of calming her little monster. The next night was just a sleepy blur of sleeping for about 5 minutes at a time, feeding, and tiny wet diapers. A message on the hospital whiteboard caught her eye. It was yellow, and said  
'Welcome, baby Chelsey!" She knew that the nurses wrote that for every baby, but still, seeing Chelsey's name in print did cheer her up a bit. She was named after her brother, who she'd barely gotten to know. It seemed like the right thing to do. And before she knew it, she was fast asleep in the hospital bed, reclined a bit. Wait, nope. She's screaming again. Zoe sighed and picked her up. The first poop. Yay. Zoe winced as she changed the tiny diaper, and tried to say soothing things.  
"Shh, Chelsey. Mama is here." She gently stroked her little head, shushing her a little. Finally, Chelsey quieted down a bit. The next day, Zoe and Chelsey, in her fancy baby carrier with about 80 straps and buttons that took her an hour to figure out. Cynthia insisted on getting the most expensive and complicated gear for her granddaughter. She knew grandmothers were overprotective, but tiny scratchproof mittens? a highchair with 3 safety locks? baby gates everywhere? Seemed a little overkill. After the last parenting video finally ends, the nurse comes in with a clipboard, and Zoe signed her name.  
"We're going home, Chels!" She struggled for about 20 minutes to secure the carrier/car seat thing into the car, backwards. Why, she muttered, was this so difficult? Finally, the receptionist came out and helped her.  
"You're good to go!" she said. Zoe climbed into the driver's seat of her Mercedes, and began driving to her apartment in New York City, sneaking glances at the top of her little hat, with the smallest pom-pom she'd ever seen. She couldn't help but smile, seeing her little bundle of joy. Her friends were right, it was different when it was your own. She couldn't wait to have to cover her ears when random drunk guys stumbled around cursing, or picking her up so she wouldn't step in a puddle of something she really, really hoped was water. She did love the big city, but it could be gross at times. She knew it would be difficult, just Zoe and Chelsey in the Big Apple, but she knew she would love every minute.


	2. the start of something beautiful, part two

Alana stared into the eyes of her tiny bundle of joy. She looked exactly like her, with chocolate skin and eyes, and she had a moderate amount of frizzy fluff on her head. She might have been biased, but she thought she was the cutest baby she'd seen, and she'd seen quite a few babies. Her tiny body was wrapped in a pastel pink blanket, like a Taco Bell burrito. 40 whole weeks of studying, Amazon shopping, judgy relatives, and trips to Babies R' Us. She watched the tiny little blob shift around a bit in her sleep, and she dozed off as well. It reminded her of when she pulled all-nighters in high school to study for exams. Not more than half an hour later, Alana practically leapt out of bed when she heard the soft hint of a whimper. This was what her years of babysitting in high school and college had prepared her for. She expertly peeked at the diaper, and knew it couldn't be wet. Still, she decided to change the tiny newborn-size diaper anyway. She could always use a refresher. Alana picked up the little mini version of herself, and both quickly fell asleep within 5 minutes. Through the night, Alana operated like a machine. A zombie machine, powered by ice chips and soup. Feed! Change diaper! Rock! There was a messily written paper taped to the door. It said "Welcome to the world, baby Mia! Congratulations, Alana Beck!" She knew that her amazing night nurse wrote those signs for every new mother, but seeing her baby girl's name did give her the tiniest bit of energy. She rocked Mia a bit, as she was starting to shift in her arms. "Shh, you're ok. Al-Mama is here" she said, quickly correcting herself. She couldn't believe that she was Mama now! It was already a difficult job, and Mia was only 18 hours old. Later that day, both of the girls were healthy enough to be discharged. Alana signed her name on the paper, leaning it against the hospital's wobbly nightstand. She clipped her into the car seat. It wasn't fancy, but it was efficient. It didn't need to be pretty. Alana quickly clicked the car seat into place in the backseat. She wasn't an engineering major for nothing! She loaded the last of the gear into the passenger seat, and pulled out of the hospital garage toward her sensible suburban house. She'll be sure to have friends her age in the tiny town they lived in. The reality hit her. This was going to be so different than nannying for the Smith boys. It was Alana and Mia, Mia and Alana, against the world.


	3. the sleep vampire's first birthday

Zoe now realized why Chelsey was so cute. It was a disguise from the screeching monster under the polka-dotted baby blankets! She remembered what everyone had said during her baby shower. "Sleep now, you won't get any when the baby gets here." And oh boy, were they right. The second Zoe's head would hit the pillow, there would be a scream from the other side of the bed. It made her more accessible for constant feedings, diaper changes, and existential crisises in the middle of the night wondering what the fuck her little monster wanted. And Chelsey had claimed about 90% of the bed, pushing Zoe right up to the edge. She decided it was time to start sleep training her. She didn't know how much more she could take. But the second Chelsey would start to cry, Zoe's heart broke. She couldn't just let her baby be sad! This too shall pass, I guess. At least, she hoped. As Zoe dangled a cow toy over her head, she gave her a new nickname. "I might as well call you Bella. You're beautiful and I love you, but you're sucking the energy from my body!" As Chelsey grabbed at the toy, Zoe couldn't help herself. She gave her a kiss on the forehead. It was worth the exhaustion. Worth every cup of 3AM coffee.

A few months later, Zoe's friends and family were all gathered around her high chair in the tiny apartment kitchen. "Happy birthday, dear Chelsey, happy birthday to you!" Chelsey's little chubby hand smashed into the pastel purple cake, and smeared frosting all over her face. Zoe tries to snap a few pictures with her phone, but Grandma keeps getting in the way with her off-brand Samsung/Android/robot or something like that. And by the time Cynthia and Larry depart, Chelsey's head is buried in Zoe's shoulder, on her very first sugar crash. She couldn't believe the two of them had spent one whole year together. She couldn't wait for more.


	4. she walks

Alana smiled from the couch as Mia pulled herself up to a standing position, then fell back on her diaper-padded butt. Alana knew she was about ready to walk. So she did the most responsible thing, and moved everything that had any value at all to her up higher. Mia seemed a bit upset that Alana wouldn't let her at the TV, but she was enthusiastic anyway. Over the weekend, she comes close to walking for the first time, but always falling before she could figure it out. Monday rolled around, and she dreaded going to work. She didn't want to miss Mia walking for the first time! She anxiously served customers at the restaurant she waitressed at, but no calls. When she went home, she asked the babysitter. "So, no news about Mia?" Ella, the babysitter, smiled and said "Nothing yet." Tuesday and Wednesday follow in a similar fashion, but no calls. On Thursday, her cell phone rings. She slowly pulled it out, and to her dismay, she saw Ella's name on the caller ID. She nervously pressed accept, and just said "Hello? Is everything ok?" She could hear Ella's excitement through the phone, and listened to her say "Yeah, nobody's sick or hurt or anything. I just called to tell you that Mia just took her first steps!" Alana was sad that she missed it, but she couldn't get too excited. She'd kinda be walking a lot. "Aww, tell her I'm so proud of her." Ella texted a video a few minutes later, and Alana watched it in the Lyft home. When she unlocked the door, she was greeted by Mia, taking a few wobbly steps at a time toward her. Alana didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but she made sure to tell her how proud she was, even though she was so nervous about all the things she'd be able to do now. 

A while later, Alana walked out of the pediatrician's office holding Mia tight. She was thinking about numbers. But not calculus, or the quadratic formula. The number 15. The doctor had just told her that Mia was in the 15th percentile. She knew that that was light for a baby her age. Heidi Hansen, the doctor, told her to schedule another appointment in two weeks. Alana just decided to carry on like normal, because it was. She had been a pretty light baby as well. She'd try something else if Dr. Hansen said something other than "she improved" at the next appointment. 

Two weeks later, Alana drove back into the pediatrician's office parking lot. Dr. Hansen smiled and told both girls that Mia had reached the 18th percentile. "Nice work, little one!" Dr. Hansen said, gently tickling her foot. She told Alana to still keep an eye out for malnutrition, but that both of them were doing great. "Try not to beat yourself up over the little things," she said. "Shit like this happens sometimes." Something about her knowing smile stayed with Alana as she left the office, baby in carrier. 

One year. One whole year with Mia. Alana had chosen not to have a big first birthday bash. She wondered what the point of it all was. Her parents weren't too supportive of her being a single mom, so she invited them over that day, but not for the party. She set out a little pink cupcake on Mia's highchair. As she sang the Happy Birthday song, she thought about all the adventures with her and her little girl. It had been exhausting, but worth every minute.


	5. zoe's in loveeee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what happened to the spacing here

Zoe woke up early this morning. They had a place to be! People to meet! Activities to do! "Rise and shine, Chels!" she said happily. She was excited for Chelsey to meet some other babies her age. She played some upbeat pop songs on her Alexa as they ate breakfast and got dressed. Diaper bag in hand, she buckled her into the stroller and walked the few blocks to the Mommy and Me playgroup being held at the local library. Chelsey made it a priority to point out every bird and every tree on the way. She picked her up out of the stroller once they got there, and they made their way inside. There were so many parents and so, so many kids. She placed a squirming Chelsey down on the floor to go meet some friends, while she hung out and watched. Chelsey immediately made a beeline for the bucket of stuffed animals. Zoe sat at a table, close enough to keep an eye on her. Suddenly, she heard a clear voice from a few feet away. She looked up, and saw another young mom. The first thing she noticed was that this girl was so hot. Dark skin, deep brown eyes, and her hair was neatly braided. "Hi!" said the pretty girl, shaking her hand. "You must be new here. I would say it's not always this chaotic, but I'd be lying. I'm Alana Beck, and I'm the mama of little Mia over there. Mia, say hi!" Mia briefly looked at Zoe, mumbled a quick "hi" and resumed stacking her blocks. Zoe looked in the direction of Mia, but she found it difficult to take her eyes off of Alana. Zoe mentally slapped herself in the face. She was at playgroup with her daughter! Now was not the time to be very, very pansexual! Zoe finally was able to speak, and she said politely "Nice to meet you, Alana! I'm Zoe Murphy! I'm the mom of Chelsey over there. How long have you been coming here?" Alana giggled. "Ever since Mia turned one, so about 6 months. It's nice for kids to play together. Hey, it looks like Mia and Chelsey get along great!" Zoe looks over at the two of them. They were sitting five feet apart, and hadn't even looked at each other. Zoe laughed. "In what way?" she asked, then immediately regretted it. Damn it, why did she have to be so awkward! Alana, luckily, just smiled. "Well, they haven't smacked each other in the face or stolen toys, so I don't think they hate each other. Besides, little kids don't really play together yet." "Oh," said Zoe. "Well, I'm glad that she has a pal, then." The two played close to each other for a few more minutes, and even sat next to each other for arts and crafts time and storytime. Alana stood up, looking at the time. "Oh! We need to go now, before Mia starts to get cranky." Before Alana collected her kid, Zoe somehow found the courage to say something. "Wait," she practically yelled. "-canigetyournumber?" Alana and Zoe exchanged numbers, and Chelsey even shouted "Bye-bye!" as the two headed out the door. On their way home, Zoe couldn't stop thinking about Alana and her beautiful smile.


	6. alana's in loveee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh btw this is at the same time as last chapter, just Alana's pov

Alana woke up Saturday morning, inhaling a bagel and a cup of coffee for a few moments of some goddamn peace and quiet before Mia woke up. She heard her stirring in the next room, so she lifted her out of her crib.  
"Good morning, sunshine!" she greeted. Mia babbled a little bit in response. After feeding her and getting her dressed, Alana buckled her into her car seat. She had almost mastered the art of the straps now. She plugged the library into the GPS in her car, then they were off. Alana released Mia into the center of the group, and watched as she made herself busy with the blocks. That's when she saw her. A young woman, probably in her early twenties. Light brown hair, brown eyes, a colorful band T-shirt. She was beautiful. She noticed that she looked overwhelmed with all the loud kids, so she nervously made her way over to her. She shook her hand.  
"Hi," she said, talking way too fast. "You must be new here. I would say it's not always this chaotic, but I'd be lying. I'm Alana Beck, and I'm the mama of little Mia over there. Mia, say hi!" The lady smiled, and she seemed to light up the room. Alana was worried that she talked too loud or too fast, but then she spoke.  
"Nice to meet you, Alana! I'm Zoe Murphy! I'm the mom of Chelsey over there. How long have you been coming here?" It took Alana a second or two to snap out of her lesbian dreaming and realize that she had asked her a question. Alana just barely formed a coherent sentence.  
"Ever since Mia turned one, so about 6 months. It's nice for kids to play together. Hey, it looks like Mia and Chelsey get along great!" Zoe laughed, and said  
"In what way?" Alana panicked, thinking that she'd said something wrong. Instead she managed to say something nerdy. Of course. But it did look like the two girls were getting along. Alana wanted to get home, not to get away from Zoe, but so she could process her lesbian realizations. She made some dumb excuse about Mia getting cranky, but just as they were about to leave, Zoe asked for her number. Alana had a brief panic attack, but she wasn't complaining! They put their numbers in each other's phones, set up a playdate for next weekend, and Alana practically ran out of the room. She couldn't be in love, right?


	7. little party girl

Chelsey was walking all over the place now! She's getting into all sorts of trouble. Knocking over a bowl, spilling a whole box of Oreos, throwing Zoe's keys into the toilet... Zoe needed to keep her restrained. Zoe decided to Amazon some baby gates to her house, and put them in every single doorway. She could barely move through the house without tripping, but Zoe would do anything to keep her safe, I guess. That day, Zoe took Chelsey to the grocery store. Chelsey stayed by her side as she grabbed a cart, but as soon as Zoe went to put her in the kid seat in the cart, Chelsey was almost running out the door, to the parking lot! Zoe dropped everything, literally. She threw the diaper bag to the floor, and used her high school track team skills to sprint after her. Just before Chelsey managed to get into the parking lot, Zoe grabbed her by the arm and practically yanked her back over to her. Relieved that she was okay, Zoe wrapped her up in a hug. Chelsey was still a baby. She didn't know any better. Zoe held her tight in the middle of the sidewalk saying  
"Don't do that again, Chelsey. You scared Mommy. You could have gotten hurt." There was a huge crowd gathered around them now. One middle aged woman snootily said  
"Well, it's no wonder she doesn't listen to you! You don't give her any discipline!" Poor Zoe was so embarrassed. But she still needed to get groceries. So she shoved Chelsey's little legs into the seat, and carried on with her shopping. On the walk back home, Zoe firmly held Chelsey's hand. Because she was so little, she had forgotten all about the incident earlier that day. Zoe decided that she needed to pay even more attention to Chelsey's whereabouts. Every time she looked ready to bolt, Zoe grabbed her arm. Chelsey seemed pretty mad, but Zoe only wanted to keep her safe, because she couldn't let the Grocery Store Incident happen again. 

Alana's sunshiny voice echoed from Zoe's cell phone.  
"Chelsey's birthday party was so much fun! I know Mia loved it, because she's passed out in her crib now. If it gets her to take a nap, maybe Chelsey should have a birthday next week too!" she joked. Zoe giggled, remembering how she loved to go to parties before Chelsey.  
"Let's do it," she said sarcastically."  
Let's just rock and roll and dance all day!" Alana lets out a giggly whoop.  
"Talk to you later. Hope the little birthday girl sleeps through the night! Have a good one." Zoe disconnected the call, and looked back on the day. She knew that part of the reason that Chelsey had so much fun was because Mia was there, and most of the reason Zoe stayed sane was because Alana was there. Alana was an amazing friend to Zoe, and deep down, she wanted them to be something more.


	8. Chinese food, I guess? -Alana and Mia

"No! Yucky!" Mia screams for the millionth time. Alana pleaded, holding a spoonful of green mush.  
"Please," she begged. "Peas are yummy! Try it, you'll like it!" Giving up, she shoved the kiddie spoon through Mia's lips. She relaxed briefly. Key word, briefly. Mia was insistent that peas were the devil. She spit them everywhere, coating herself, Alana, and everything else in green glop. Alana sighed. She just had to keep going. It didn't matter how many spoonfuls of peas she spit out, Alana would be there with another, hopefully getting her to eat. It didn't work. Mia spit out every sludgy vegetable she was given. But then, something miraculous happened. Or, kind of miraculous. Mia was watching Sesame Street on the TV, and an ad for the local Chinese food restaurant pops up. She looked at the food on the TV, and said   
"Yummy!" This came as a surprise to Alana. She'd never been the biggest fan of Chinese food, but if it would get Mia to eat, then she could try some. The next day, after work, Alana put Mia into the car, and drove to the restaurant. She looked amazed at all the colorful decorations inside. The lady looked a little weirdly at them, but Alana didn't care. Juggling Mia and a bag full of cartons of rice, crab rangoon, lo mein, sesame chicken, and wonton soup, she made her way back to the car. At home, Alana placed some crispy fried tofu on her highchair tray, and held her breath as she stared at the tofu. She lifted up the tofu, and Alana thought she was going to toss it to the ground. But she took a bite. And smiled, and said  
"Yummy!" Mia has the same reaction with the sesame chicken. She doesn't like the lo mein as much, but you take what you can get.


	9. conversations with grandma

Chelsey's gotten more picky with what she considers a toy now. She'd play with anything. And now she's obsessed with one kind of toy, space. Every time an ad for a space toy comes up, or she sees some in the store, she says  
"Look Mama! Aliens!" One time she lost her Space Rangers action figure. Zoe, of course, turned the house upside down looking for it. It killed her to see Chelsey upset. It took forever to find. But finally, it showed up in the hamper under a bunch of clothes. How did it get there? Who knows. Zoe was getting a little annoyed with Chelsey's obsession with space, but she decided not to do anything about it. She loved to see her so passionate about something. So Zoe sucked it up, and sat down to play astronauts with Chelsey. She's only little and cute once. 

After cleaning up a blowout diaper one afternoon, she decided that she needed to do something about it. She called up her mom to ask for advice.  
"I'm telling you, it was so disgusting yesterday." She could almost hear Cynthia nodding over the phone. She said  
"Yeah, you were like that too. Getting you out of diapers was more exciting than you getting into college! No, I'm just kidding." Zoe needed to ask her an important question.  
"So, what made me actually get interested in the potty?" Cynthia thought for a moment.  
"It was kind of like a light switch. One moment you weren't interested, the next you wouldn't stop talking about it. But we bribed you with chocolate as well." she said, laughing.  
Zoe stared at the purple plastic potty that had been given to Mia for her second birthday. It was just sitting on the floor, collecting dust. Zoe decided not to force anything, and just let Mia decide when she was ready. 

Three years. Three years since Mia was born. Now she runs, talks, talks, talks, and sleeps in her big girl bed. Zoe couldn't believe it had been three years. It seems like an eternity, and also just yesterday.


	10. social media is dangerous-Alana and Mia

After Mia goes to sleep for the night, Alana logs onto Instagram, something she hasn't done for a while. She sees a video from her acquaintance from high school, Jared Kleinman. The video is of his daughter, Bailey. Jared, Bailey, and his husband Evan are at the zoo. Evan has Bailey on his hip, showing her a tiger, and Bailey's screaming  
"Dada! Look! Look at the kitty cat!" The post has almost 500 likes! Other people are commenting.  
"So cute"  
"Precious!"  
"She got so big!"  
Alana thinks it's other people's business what they do with their kids, but she doesn't post online anymore, she'd rather talk to people in person. She notices that Jared's video is tied to a contest from toocute.org. It says the top 10 cutest baby clips will win 2,000 dollars! Alana quickly decided not to submit. Mia couldn't agree to this, and who knows who would find it. She felt satisfied that she made the right decision.

Mia's two years old now. Alana has decided that she will potty train her, even if it kills her. She'll start first thing tomorrow. Alana never breaks a promise to herself, so she plops Mia right back on the potty even though she fusses. And after an hour and a half, she finally uses it. Alana praises her, then immediately donates the diapers and wipes to the homeless shelter a few blocks away. And three days later, Mia is fully potty-trained. 

Alana reflects a bit on the past three years. It seems like just yesterday that she was in the hospital giving birth to her, but Alana seems to have aged 20 years. Still, she wouldn't trade it for the world.


	11. zoe needs a break-Zoe and Chelsey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why does this suck

Zoe realized that Chelsey is three years old now. She should probably potty-train her. So she looked up some tips on Pinterest. But, she still decided not to make her do anything before she was ready. She needed a break from Chelsey, Chelsey, Chelsey all the time. She texted Alana. She did want to get to know her better. 

Zoe: hey, you want to get brunch or something sometime?

Alana: sure! what about the kids?

Zoe: i can call the babysitter and see if she'd be ok with two kids

Alana: kk :)

That was successful! She just hoped Alana maybe, just maybe liked her back. 

After a few weeks, Zoe started mentioning other kids using the potty. And eventually, Chelsey caught on. Zoe sold the diapers and wipes to a pregnant lady on Facebook, glad that it was finally over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this chapter was so short! they're going to be longer from now on


	12. is this a date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we interrupt your daily scheduled kidfic with some Gay. We'll be right back!

Zoe and Alana finally met up at the BiSnackual Cafe, the local LGBTQ+ coffee shop. Both of them talked about everything they could think of, Zoe with her latte and Alana with plain black tea. They even found out that they went to the same high school, they just never knew each other. They talked about their favorite singers, and it turned out that they both loved Hamilton. Alana couldn't take it anymore. She just had to ask.  
"Zoe, I have a question for you" Alana said nervously  
"Yeah?" Zoe hoped that this was what she hoped it was.  
"Zoe, I-I really like you. I thought you were so pretty when I first saw you, and I think you're even more beautiful now. Will you go out with me? I don't even know if you're gay or not, but this is a gay cafe, so-" Zoe motioned for her to stop talking. Alana panicked, thinking she had definitely just ruined everything.  
"Alana, I want to go out with you too. You're so sweet, and beautiful, and smart-" And with that, Alana cut her off with a coffee-flavored kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, back to the kids. thanks for your patience. 
> 
> also sorry, this was also very short, i promise you'll get longer chapters soon


	13. birthday party fails

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obviously set back when Chelsey turned three

"Come on Mia, we're going to be late!" yelled On Time Alana. Chelsey's third birthday started in five minutes, and the library was an 8 minute drive. A small response echoes from her room.  
"Coming, Mama!" Alana grabbed the present, a blocks set in a Happy Birthday bag. They end up being six minutes late, because of traffic, but Zoe doesn't seem to notice. She does a finger wave hello to Mia, and kissed Alana on the cheek. (Alana panicked, but she's not complaining either)  
"Chelsey's at the arts and crafts table, painting! There's also a reading station, a snack station, a board game station, and," she said, winking at Alana, "a coffee station". Alana places Mia at the table next to Chelsey, and bolted for the coffee station. Kids tire you out!

Zoe brought out the cake, and set it on the table. Her whole family and all of her friends, it seemed, were there. They all sang an off-key renedition of the Happy Birthday song. After cake, Chelsey began to open presents, with a bit of help from Zoe. Mia looked on jealously, and by the third gift, she was practically shaking with energy. Alana gently placed her hand on her shoulder. 

To Alana's horror, Mia ducked away from Alana's hand. She ran to the middle of the pile of presents. Mia started helping Chelsey rip into a gift. Mia shouted "I help open too!" Chelsey and Zoe both looked bewildered. Alana's face felt hotter than the candles that were on the cake. She grabbed Mia and brought her to the other side of the room. She angrily plopped her on the floor, and loomed over her. Alana whispered, her voice ice cold.  
"Mia, whose party is this?" A sniffly Mia sat on the ground,  
"Mine! Mia's party!" Alana stared into her eyes, almost shooting lasers from her eyes.  
"Try again, ma'am. Whose party is this?" Mia whispered quieter, almost silent.  
"My party." Alana shook her head. Mia finally gave in.  
"It Chelsey's party." Alana wraps her into a hug.  
"That's right, lovebug. It's Chelsey's party today. It'll be your birthday very soon. But today is Chelsey's special day, and you need to be kind. You wouldn't want her to help with your presents, would you?" A look of horror came over Mia's face, and she shook her head. Alana carried her over to the rest of the party, earning a few grumbles and whispers from friends. Mia stayed well behaved the rest of the party, and Chelsey seemed to enjoy her blocks.


	14. love you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> obviously this takes place after the last chapter

As soon as Alana and her sugared-up monster got home, Alana put her down for a nap. Not as punishment or anything, but because she was about to crash hard from all the cake and ice cream. Besides, since when are naps punishment? Once Mia was sleeping, Alana opened the text app and started texting Zoe.

A: hey, really sorry about mia earlier. hope chelsey wasn't too upset. she's usually not like that.

Z: alana chill  
we were fine  
besides all kids are assholes sometimes  
A: name one time chelsey was an asshole  
Z: last month we were at the grocery store  
A: oh god again?  
Z: and she had just asked (while we were still home) where babies come from but shes three so i told her that the baby comes out of mommy's tummy and she was satisfied with that  
A: yes?  
Z: she went up to a random, er, heavier lady and asked when the baby was going to come out of her tummy  
A: ooh, that's bad. why do all of your embarassing chelsey stories happen at that store  
Z: yeah, idk if we can go back lol  
A: you have to get stuff  
Z: amazon  
A: groceries?  
Z: delivery  
A: hold on, i think she's waking up  
Z: lol have fun! love you  
A: w h a t?  
Z:...nothing  
A: love you too, babe!  
And with that, she started off towards Mia's room.


	15. skool daze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> end the flashback to chelsey's third birthday

Alana was set on educating Mia as quick as possible. But she never expected that on the way driving home from the library, Mia would notice a building that said SCHOOL.  
"Mama! I wanna go school!" Alana was caught off guard. She didn't think she'd bring it up herself!  
"Really, sweetie?" She definitely wanted Mia to have a preschool education. So she asked Zoe where Chelsey was going (at home. don't text and drive, kids)

A: hey, do you know where you're sending chelsey for preschool yet  
Z: im still debating sending her  
A: ok let me know!  
Z: probably  
A: so there's a super fancy and also super expensive one, the private one, and the government-funded one that looks like a dump  
Z: yeah we should probably go with the private one. thats what i was thinking 2  
A: cool

A few months later, it proved to be the right decision. Mia and Chelsey both had a couple friends who they sometimes had playdates with. And both parents knew, this was just the appetizer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the simulator for chelsey that i was using synced with mia's, so now it's just me i guess?


	16. a uhaul truck in the driveway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some dates later...  
> but not too many dates because they're lesbians

Zoe stared at the empty apartment. This was the only home Chelsey had ever known! She wondered how she was going to adjust to Alana's large suburban house. The U-haul drove off, and the two of them climbed into Zoe's barely used car. It was about to finally get some real miles on it. Chelsey seemed confused about where they were going, but forgot everything as soon as she saw her friend (sister? Zoe wondered) Alana and Zoe shared a kiss on the doorstep, before they both went inside. The truck pulled into the driveway, much to the delight of both girls. Both parents let them take turns beeping the horn a few times. After five minutes, their ears couldn't take much more. They put the girls in the house, and they ran off somewhere. Alana and Zoe started grabbing boxes, and putting them into the front walkway. They'd get to them...tomorrow.


	17. bump in the road

Mother's Day has rolled around again, and the two parents braced themselves for the amount of arts and crafts that was going to come from preschool. Zoe was given some soggy paper flowers, which, like the dramatic person she was, put them into a vase. Mia triumphantly put a lump into Alana's hand. It appeared to be made of dried-out Model Magic, and she used watercolors to messily paint it. Thank goodness it was mostly dry. Alana used her high school theatre acting skills.   
"Do ya like it Mama? It's a kitty!"  
"Wow, Mia! It's so beautiful! It's the prettiest kitty-cat I've ever seen! I should put it in a special place, so it doesn't get broken." Alana put it into an extra cardboard box left over from the move, where all of Mia and Chelsey's other masterpieces sat. If she was sad to see the kitty not being displayed, she was using some acting skills as well. 

The dreaded 5am intruder has come into the bedroom again.   
"Mama, I'b sick abain." Alana had seen this coming from a mile away. Mia was always a healthy baby, but there seemed to be much more now. So, into Dr. Hansen's parking lot they were, taking the day off school. As she was writing a prescription for some antibiotics, she said something that made Alana's head snap up.   
"Ms. Beck, you know that this is the third sinus infection that Mia's had this year, right?" Alana knew, all right. She could rattle off the duration of the illness and the date like the back of her hand. Dr. Hansen shocked Alana once more.   
"Have you considered having Mia's adenoids removed?"   
"Anything that would make her feel better, I guess I could consider." said Alana. Dr. Hansen explained that Mia likely had enlarged adenoids. Normal adenoids block germs coming inside, but since they were enlarged, there was germ buildup on them. She said that she wanted to order some X-rays. Mia looked at her mama with wide eyes.  
"Do X-rays hurt, Mama?" Alana couldn't lie to her.  
"We're talking about the fact that you might need surgery, which will hurt, but it'll make you feel better. But X-rays are just a picture of your insides, so Dr. Hansen can see what's going on." She hugs Mia tight and strokes her head as Dr. Hansen continued to explain. Alana agreed to get the X-ray done, and just go from there. Three days later, Alana's driving into the medical imaging office down the street from Dr. Hansen's. Mia quickly realizes that, no, X-rays don't hurt, and lets them get on with their job. 

Two weeks later, they're back at Dr. Hansen's. She's got the X-rays pulled up on her computer. Dr. Hansen delivers the blow.  
"Based on what we're seeing here, I think we need to remove not only her adenoids, but her tonsils as well. It'll be easy to do at the same time. Still, you have a choice, Ms. Beck." Alana hated to see her little baby sick.   
"Whatever makes her feel better, I suppose."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm suspense


	18. when life gives you lemons, make sorbet

A few weeks later, at the hospital, there's a kicking, screaming hissy fit happening in the pre-op room. Mia's eyes are wet and red as they begged Mama to take her home. Another nurse comes in, telling the first nurse to hold her down so they can give her the laughing gas. Then, once it kicks in, we can give her the general anesthesia. Alana stepped back to let the nurses handle it. She didn't want to be the bad guy. Alana blew kisses to distract her, and they finally wrangled the mask on her little face. About an hour later, a nurse tells Alana that they're finishing up. It was the longest hour of Alana's life

Alana has flashbacks to Mia's baby years. She's waking up at all hours of the night to give her medicine, check for infections, and give her popsicles, ice cream, sorbet, pudding, and all the food she remembers from having braces. Zoe keeps offering to take on a shift so her girlfriend can sleep, but Alana insists. Mia doesn't fully understand why she was operated on, but she recovered after about a week. Add that to Alana's parenting resumè!


	19. so many babies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternative title: Chelsey Almost Fucks Things Up

Zoe's cousin Jared Kleinman is coming to town. Weirdly enough, he married Zoe's high school sweetheart, Evan. And the two are bringing their new baby, Jack, so Zoe can meet him. They have a daughter, Bailey, too, but she's home with a babysitter. Zoe had recommended Ella, and Evan and Jared loved her. It was one of those visits where the whole purpose was to meet the new baby. Jared and Zoe hadn't exactly been on the best terms historically, so she was quite nervous. She just hoped that Chelsey could handle not being the center of attention. She loved to sing, dance, and act all the time. Definitely Zoe's girl. So far, Zoe hasn't needed to worry.  
"I wanna see baby Joey! Wanna see the baby!" Zoe weakly smiled at her.  
"The baby's not coming until tomorrow, honey! You have to be patient. And try to remember, his name is Jack, not Joey." This earned a smile from Alana, who was trying to tell Mia that she needed to be on her best behavior. Chelsey seemed pretty confident in her baby skills.  
"I think the baby will like me best, Mommy." Zoe smiled at her enthusiasm.  
"You just might be right, kiddo." 

The three were expected to come on Saturday morning, but they didn't arrive until 1:30 pm. Alana tsked at the lateness, and Zoe reminded her to be civil. Finally, the doorbell rang. On the front step were Evan and Jared, Evan holding a gray baby carrier. The baby inside was screaming and squirming like there was no tomorrow.  
"Any suggestions?" he asked.  
"We tried to stop so he could take a nap, but he won't go to sleep." Zoe looked curiously at the weeks-old baby.  
"What is it, lil guy?" she asked in a baby voice. Jack didn't answer.  
"How about we set you guys up in the guest room, and you two figure out what he wants?" Evan gave Zoe a little smile.  
"Sounds good." Chelsey protested.  
"Mommy, I wanna see the baby! Not baby stuff!" Sighing, Zoe responded, handing her a light bag full of baby formula.  
"You will, soon. But right now we have to help, because that's what family does." Chelsey didn't seem too happy with that response. Evan and Jared disappear into the guest room to try to get Jack to sleep in the crib that Alana had kept from when Mia was a baby. The crying continues, and some of it's probably coming from Chelsey, too. Reluctantly, she told her to go play with Mia in the living room. Jared pretty much threw Jack into Zoe's arms. She carefully placed him over her shoulder. After a bottle and a diaper change, he finally calmed down a bit, and some rocking finally did the trick. The baby was sleeping in her arms. She decided that she still remembered how to put a baby into the crib without waking them up. She did it all the time three years ago! She carefully put him down in the crib, but he started to fuss. Evan came into the room.  
"Don't worry, Zoe. That's just how he is." He rocked him a bit, and put him into the crib, painlessly. Evan and Zoe tiptoed out into the hall, to find a sad-looking Jared. He looked up at her, and said  
"I'm sorry I made fun of you in high school. It didn't make me any cooler, and Evan was right. You are a really nice person." Zoe didn't forgive easily, but she did say  
"Thank you, Jared. That means a lot to me." She looks over at Chelsey, and to her horror, she and Mia have disappeared. She hears a toilet flushing, and Alana's in the kitchen, so Mia must be in the bathroom. She notices the guest room door, and it's open. She peeks inside, and there's Chelsey. She's cooing to the baby in the crib!  
"Hi Jack Jack! D'ya wanna see my new toy?" Zoe tries to slip in as quickly and quietly as she can, to tell her kid what an awful idea this is.  
"Chels! Honey! This isn't a good idea! I need you to come back out to the living room, right now!" While Zoe removes Chelsey from the scene, Evan goes in to check on him. To everyone's relief, he's still asleep. Outside the bedroom door, she quietly talks to Chelsey.  
"I know you want to talk to your cousin Jack, but he's sleeping right now. You're lucky he didn't wake up, because it would have made Uncle Jared and Uncle Evan very sad. When the baby wakes up, I want you to go in and apologize to them, okay?" Chelsey agrees, with a trembly lip. About 15 minutes later, they heard a cry coming from the guest room. Chelsey hears it too, and she gets up from her fort with a sniffly nose. It was unclear what Chelsey mumbled to Jared and Evan, but it clearly had an impact on them both. Jared smiled at Zoe, and Evan ruffled her hair.  
"It's okay, kiddo. You're a good big cousin." Jared lets Chelsey dangle a crinkly cow toy for him. This wasn't the only time she had to apologize to Evan and Jared, but she turned out to be a great older cousin to Jack. And after they all left on Sunday afternoon, she let Chelsey know how proud of her she was.


	20. final carefree summer

Alana, Zoe, Chelsey, and Mia walked down the street, hand in hand. The two little ones were practically skipping, and the two older ones exchanged a sweet glance. The hot weather had started to get cooler, and the leaves had started to turn all shades of red, orange, and yellow. It finally dawned on all of them. The girls were four years old now. In a few days, they'd be starting real kindergarten. They grow up so fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the second to last chapter! I can't believe that this fic is already almost over!


	21. kindergarten first day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you would not believe your eyes  
> if i didn't write some cliche cheesy ending

The girls have made their decision. They were sending their daughters to the nearby private elementary school next week. Mia looks up at Alana.  
"Mama, how long will I have to go to school?" Alana did some quick mental math.  
"About 13 years, why? School is fun, you'll love it!" Alana pressed some buttons on her computer, and both kids were registered for school!

It was 7:30 AM, the girls' first day of kindergarten. Both of them had their backpacks, their lunches packed, their medical records from Dr. Hansen updated, everything was ready to go. Alana and Zoe had briefly had an argument on how to celebrate their special day. Zoe wanted to have a full party, and Alana just wanted to keep it a normal day. She was able to talk her girlfriend out of the balloons and streamers, but she couldn't stop her from making smiley-face chocolate chip pancakes and hot chocolate, and making a good-luck card signed by Ella, their cousins, Cynthia and Larry, Alana's parents and sister, and everyone else that they knew. Both kids were pleased with the dessert for breakfast, as Alana called it, and the card. After breakfast, the girls put their backpacks on, and Zoe made them pose adorably outside the house, at the school bus stop. Zoe snapped about 300 pictures of the girls in their matching pink and purple dresses and backpacks. Both of their hairstyles were adorably imperfect, with a few strands hanging out. As the two get on the bus, Alana went on with them to make sure they knew how to buckle the new lap seatbelts. Alana stepped out of the yellow school bus, and saw Chelsey and Mia waving through the windows (heh). The moms stood on the curb, yelling things like  
"GOOD LUCK TODAY!"  
"HAVE FUN, YOU TWO!"  
"BE NICE TO PEOPLE"  
"SAY HI TO PEOPLE!" like parents do. As the big yellow bus pulled away from the curb, Alana and Zoe held hands. This was only the beginning of a long, difficult road, but they would be there for each other the whole way through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe this fic is over! I hope you guys enjoyed this little slice-of-life book. I know I sure had fun writing it! Let me know what kinds of stuff you want to see!  
> If you want to make some parenting decisions like Alana and Zoe did, check out https://www.choiceofgames.com/user-contributed/parenting-simulator/ . I used it to get story ideas, and to help me write realistic kids.


End file.
